After failing to become involved with the audiobook (srsly, that narrator is a bad pick) I picked up the actual book and then got totally sucked backAfter failing to become involved with the audiobook (srsly, that narrator is a bad pick) I picked up the actual book and then got totally sucked back into this universe.

These are the books that should be causing massive shipping wars! Where's Team Peeta? I want to join. He's so much better than Gale (although Peeta's "screen time" compared to Gale's is much more, so I think it might be easy to be biased in his favor, but COME ON KATNISS, HE IS AWESOME).

I'll say, there's a pretty good twist that leads to the second half of the book, that I never would have expected going in to this second book, but I really liked it despite the fact it might retread a little ground.

Overall, I'd love to give this 4.5 stars, but I hesitate to round up to 5. It's not quite as awesomesauce as the first in the series, although it's hard to live up to that book, but it moves the pieces into place for book 3 wonderfully....more

Here's the deal: the man can't write. He's a name-brand & url spewing, Wikipedia-like fountain of knowledge, who CAN'T HANDLE VERB TENSES. He also likes really short sentences. That aren't sentences at all. Really. Expect iPhone, Twitter, and Google shout-outs, too. I'm almost surprised he didn't mention the inevitable hash #thelostsymbol and tell us to use it when we tweet about what we just learned.

On the flip side, who doesn't love a good romp around a famous city solving mysteries with art and science and religion? You know the drill, and the formula hasn't changed here in the slightest.

As a former DC resident of 7 years, I have to admit, I was expecting slightly more from the location, but Langdon and his companion du jour keep getting trapped in random places, so it's a bit disappointing on that front. He does get 10 points for a hilarious caper including the Blue Line out to the King Street station though and the Red Line to Tenleytown (yeah, Tenleytown shout-out, what up!)

This book's wacky science theme is Noetics, and the quasi-religious thing at hand is the Masons. Since the first thing that comes to mind re: Noetics is Fringe, I sort of expected a Pacey Witter guest appearance, but alas, it was not meant to be. I know absolutely zip about the Masons, but who wants to bet their membership applications go through the roof this month?

So my final verdict: did I hate it as much as Catcher in the Rye? No. (Will I ever hate any book as much as I hate Catcher in the Rye? Unlikely. BUT THERE'S TIME.) Is it the best Robert Langdon book? Not by a long shot. Angels & Demons still is the best of the trilogy. Is it still vaguely enjoyable in the way only a Dan Brown book can be? Yes. Does Dan Brown's copy editor need to be publicly humiliated? YES AND HIS NAME IS APPARENTLY JASON KAUFMAN (according to the Acknowledgements, so I'm not like, stalking anyone here) AND GOOD LORD MAN, ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES CAUSED BY PEOPLE BURNING THIS BOOK EDIT THIS INTO SOMETHING ENJOYABLE. EVERY TIME DAN BROWN DOESN'T KNOW HOW A VERB WORKS, KITTENS DIE.

Also, if I ever have to read the words "neutered sex organ" again, I will be forced to remove my eyeballs and then pour bleach directly onto my brain.

One more P.S., since I tweeted this and then forgot to include this here: Most unbelievable part of the plot? The Redskins are in the playoffs AND score on their opening possession. PLEASE TRY AGAIN, YOU FAIL AT HAVING SPORTS KNOWLEDGE....more

Wow, this is going to make a run for my top 3 King books. If you read the Hunger Games and you are impatiently waiting for book 2 and you've never reaWow, this is going to make a run for my top 3 King books. If you read the Hunger Games and you are impatiently waiting for book 2 and you've never read this? It's perfect. (And... to be honest, it's better, but that's because it's King at the top of his game and without really being in a genre.)

I just wish the last 2 paragraphs - well, were something I could understand completely. But it's sort of like an ending like the Giver, and you can take what you will from it....more

I had read this in Rome back in '05 (and left the book behind, with the grammar corrected) but I figured I had to reread it before I saw the movie forI had read this in Rome back in '05 (and left the book behind, with the grammar corrected) but I figured I had to reread it before I saw the movie for mocking.

The advice is good, but not stellar - but there are some images in the book that are very inspiration. It's better than any of the other wedding photoThe advice is good, but not stellar - but there are some images in the book that are very inspiration. It's better than any of the other wedding photo guides I looked at in terms of image quality, but I'd only really use it as a starting off point, more than a definitive guide to contemporary wedding photography....more

Wow, very powerful. The subject matter is obviously very rough, but it is so well written I had a moment one night when I stayed up an extra couple hoWow, very powerful. The subject matter is obviously very rough, but it is so well written I had a moment one night when I stayed up an extra couple hours to keep reading. ...more

Since we are pushing this book at work, I gave it a read. I have to say, the movie is pretty good (although the book then just treads right over the sSince we are pushing this book at work, I gave it a read. I have to say, the movie is pretty good (although the book then just treads right over the same ground)....more

Having read it after reading the Dark Tower series, I'm still a little disappointed by the random appearance of Patrick Danville that magically solvesHaving read it after reading the Dark Tower series, I'm still a little disappointed by the random appearance of Patrick Danville that magically solves a lot of problems, but I did enjoy Insomnia.

It takes a little while to really get cooking, but I found the two main "heroes" of the book, Ralph and Lois, to be pretty interesting. King diverges a bit and has both of his main characters in their 70s, which can be a bit amusing for the action-y bits.

I found the family saga of Helen and Ed Deepnau to be pretty fascinating, as the supernatural stuff is set against a backdrop of Derry, Maine gearing up for an epic battle between pro-life and pro-choice movements (only the pro-lifers have a crazy dude who has been taken as a pawn by the Crimson King, so, you know, slightly higher risks). Ralph interferes early, after Ed has beaten the stuffing out of his wife Helen, and her long journey to normalcy gives the book its grounding in what passes for reality with King.

After stopping this book back in '07, I picked it back up in '09 after finally seeing Bottle Shock. Both are enjoyable in their own ways. But to be faAfter stopping this book back in '07, I picked it back up in '09 after finally seeing Bottle Shock. Both are enjoyable in their own ways. But to be fair, Bottle Shock does have Alan Rickman and Eliza Dushku. :)...more

The last one hundred pages or so very much redeemed the first chunk of the book. Maybe it's because I have such a huge soft spot for American Gods, buThe last one hundred pages or so very much redeemed the first chunk of the book. Maybe it's because I have such a huge soft spot for American Gods, but Anansi (or his boys) would never have been the one I would have picked for the focus of a spin-off/sequel. Maybe it's because Wednesday lords over most of American Gods, but man, imagine a book filled with Wednesday and Loki just conning their way across the states.

But if you can get through the first 200 pages of not really having any likable characters (except for Daisy and Maeve Livingston after a certain major event happens), the mythology and plot finally come together and really work to actually create interest in what happens to Fat Charlie and Spider....more